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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. bore — to drill
  3. last — to go on
  4. track — a path
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. track — a song
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. degree — an amount
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. bore — to tire
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. degree — temperature
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. last — final
  19. last — finally
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. track — to keep track
  23. degree — from a university
  24. plane — a tool

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com